^v. 


THE   ROBERT   E.  COWflN  COLLECTION 
i'RivSi:N-n:i)  to  xmc 

'JNIVFR.'^TTY   OF    T  R  1. 1  PY^  R  Nlfl 

C,  R  HUNTINGTON 

JUNE.    18Q7. 

Accessiori  No,  %^.  ^^^^'Class'No, 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


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i^^vr-     vr  , 


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http://www.archive.org/details/bottsairshipprobOObottricli 


— I 


BOTTS'  AIR-SHIP. 


The  Problem  of  Aerial  Navigation, 

BT 
BARNET  N.  BOTTS. 

TliSO  R0<SIES,         -  .         CAlIFOItmA. 


The  Problem  of  Aerial  Navigation, 

By  BARNET  N.  BOTTS. 


Thfi  inventor  is  sending  out  this  paper 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  financial  aid  to 
build  a  practical  workiug  air-ship.  Several 
suggestions  are  also  niiuie,  and  ideas  ad- 
vanced, in  regard  to  different  forms  of  air- 
ships. Having  a()plied  for  a  United  States 
patent,  and  neglecting  to  explain  in  the 
specification  the  laws  upon  which  the  in- 
vention is  based,  when  the  cas^  cam*'  up 
for  examination  the  Examiner  looked 
upon  its  successful  operHtion  as  being 
i-ouiewhat  doubtful,  without  the  us'e  of  a 
gas  field  to  suspend  it  in  the  air,  and  the 
Patent  Office  held  it  to  be  inoperative,  call- 
ing for  a  model  capable  of  ascension  and 
propulsion.  A  machine  will  have  to  be 
furnished  before  any  further  siction  will  be 
taken  by  the  office.  This  will  be  a  very 
expensive  niachine  to  build  and  the  in- 
ventor is  not  prepared  financially  to  carry 
it  out.  He  has  taken  this  course,  calling 
for  help,  by  sending  out  this  paper  to 
Scientific  and  Aeronautical  Societies,  thus 
placing  it  before  those  who  will  comprehend 
the  fundamental  principles  upon  which  the 
invention  is  based.  The  inventor  exptcrs 
no  assistance  except  by  giving  undoubted 
proof  that  his  machin  is   practical. 

The  following  explanations  are  given  in 
the  form  of  a  discussion  between  A  and  B, 
in  order  that  the  points  may  be  brought 
out  more  clearly.  Believing;  the  .following 
explanations  are  sufficient  to  convince  the 
most  skeptical,  in  regard  to  the  successful 
operation  of  the  machine,  the  inventor  is 
prepared  to  correspond  with  those  who 
may  be  interested  in  the  invention. 

A— Mr.  B,  I. understand  ydu  have  inven- 
ted an  air-ship,  and  I  am  here  to  criticise 
on  your  invention.  I  am  an  engineer  by 
profession,  and  during  my  life,  have  made 
l^atural  Pliilosophy  a  study.  I  wish  now 
to  deal  only  with  fundamental  principles. 
You  will  understand.  Mr.  B,  that  in  order 
to  determine  the  possibiiittt  s  of  an  inven- 
tion, we  must  look  beneath  the  form,  to  the 
law;  and  there  the  facts  will  be  di^clos.  d, 
which  will  tell  the  story  of  its  pos-ibiliiies. 
Now  1  wish  you  to  give  a  cle;ir  and  exnct 
explauHtioD  of  the  laws  upon  which  your 
invenli.)n  is  base(i,  1  will  be  your  critic 
while  you  give  your  explanation. 

B — Mr.  A,  in  regard  to  the  general  fea- 
ture of  my  air-sliip,  it  consists  of  a  horizdn- 
tal,  cigir-shaped  cylinder,  with  a  central, 
uprigut.  hollow  mast.  An  aircoinpressMr 
and  motor  are  placed  within  the  cylimier, 
the  cylinder  forming  the  car.  The  inlet 
pipes  tu  the  air  compressor  open  out  at  tlie 
top  side  of  the  car.  The  Outlet  pipes  ex- 
tend from  the  compressor  up  into  the 
hollow  mast.  When  they  have  reached  a 
[loiiit  above  the  top  siue  of  the  car,  they 
ixtend  horizontally  in  opposite  directions 
and  at  right  anglea  to  the  length  of  the  car. 


Their  ends  then  extend  vertically  down- 
ward and  form  fiairing  nozzles.  The  action 
of  the  compressor  draws  the  air  in  tlirough 
the  inlet  pipes  and  throws  it  out  ttirough 
the  outlet  pipes.  Thu."  the  air  entering  the 
inlet  pipes  vertically  downward,  will  by  the 
so  called  suction  lift  tlu-  ship  vertically  up- 
ward, and  the  air  flowing  vertically  down- 
ward from  the  outlet  pipes  or  nozzles,  past 
the  sides  of  the  car,  in  the  form  of  jets,  will 
by  reaction  from  the  outer  atmosphere, 
pusti  the  ship  vertically  upward.  We 
thus  have  the  lifting  power  of  the  suction 
nozzles  and  the  out.lowing  jets  of  air.  The 
niouihs  of  the  air  jet  nozzles  are  placed 
al..)ve  tlie  cHiiter  <jf  gravity  of  the  ship, 
to  prevent  capsizing,  as  the  main  lift  conies 
on  them,  and  they  are  resting  on  the 
pointed  ends  of  cones  of  compre.ssed  air. 
The  ujoii'iis  ol  the  nozzles  are  made  fiair- 
ing to  prevent  the  hissing  noise  of  com- 
pressed air  passing  them,  which  would 
otherwise  occur.  A  laree  horizontal  plane 
is  fixed  on  the  mast  mentioned  above, 
and  in  case  the  machinery  should  cease 
toad,  and  tht  ship  start  to  fall,  this 
horizontal  plane  is  forced  sidewise  against 
the  air  which  slides  it  up  a  short  distance 
along  the  mast  whicti  it  surrounds.  This 
action  of  the  piane  opens  a  valve  and 
adiiiiis  compressed  air  from  a  chamber 
within  I  he  car,  to  the  jet  nozzles.  The  jets 
of  air  flowit)g  from  these  nozzles,  form 
aerial  parachutes;  and  this  stored  up 
emergency  power  will  maintain  them 
till  the  ship  can  safely  de>ceud  to  the 
earth.  To  maintain  thet>Jiipin  an  upright 
position  during  flight,  plumb  boba  are 
fixed  upon  the  car,  capable  of  swinging 
back  and  ftrth  and  sidewise.  In  case  the 
ship  tilts  from  an  upright  position,  the 
pluuib  b.)bs  maintaining  a  vertical  posi. 
tion,opeii  ports  and  throw  a  jet  of  air 
from  a  nozzle  extenliny;  in  the  directi;)n 
to  wliich  the  ship  is  nited.  The  reaction 
of  the  jet  ot  air  rights  the  ship. 

A— Mr.  B,  have  you  not  yet  learned 
that  an  enormous  amount  of  energy  is 
consumed  in  producing  an  air  jet  whose 
reaction  iscompiratively  mjthing? 

B — Yes,  Mr.  A,  I  have  learned  that  this 
is  or  is  not  the  case. 

A— Mr.  B,  you  understand  we  have 
been  trying  for  a  long  time,  to  get  up  an 
air-ship  capable  of  ascension  without  the 
u<e  of  a  gas  field.  You  also  understand 
that  no  steam  engine  or  other  motor,  has 
ever  been  capable  of  lifting  itself  in  the 
air.  The  difficulty  Mr.  B,  has  been  this: 
we  have  never  been  able  to  get  a  motor 
suiriciently  light,  for  the  amount  of 
energy  it  produced.  It  simply  consists 
in  securing  a  lig:hter  motor  with  a  greater 
power.  When  we  advance  far  enough  in 
this  direction  we  will  navigate  the  air. 


H— Mr.  A,  lam  prepared  to  tell  you  I 
have  a  different  course  to  pursue,  from 
that  wbicb  you  mention.  I  have  discov- 
ered a  way  to  double,  quadruple  and  mul- 
tiply tbe  lifting  capacity  of  an  air-ship, 
Khuo3t  without  limit.  Mind  you,  this  can 
be  accoiuplinhed  without  iticreasing  the 
weight  or  power  of  the  motor,  or  weight  of 
Jtny  pjirt  of  the  air-ship.  You  understand 
the  different  motors  as  we  have  them  now 
in  their  present  condition,  are  capable  of 
lifting  them-^ielves  into  the  air  and  many 
titnes  double  their  weight.  They  alref/dy 
yield  sufficient  meclmnical  power  to  do  all 
this.  But  in  all  air-ships  so  far,  the  main 
portion  of  the  power  has  been  wasted, 
bt'Cawse  it  has  never  been  properly  applied. 
It  has  nol  been  the  plans  and  forms  of  the 
air-ship  which  were  ar  fait,  but  their  pro- 
portions aiKi  incline  surfaces  and  the  like. 
It  seems  that  these  inventors  or  bnildeis 
of  air-ships  have  not  umierstood  the  laws 
upon  which  their  inventions  were  based; 
find  the  rn-ult  is,  they  have  nut  had  tho.-^e 
laws  to  guide  them  to  ."uccf'ss.  li  has  been 
like  trying  to  solve  a  problem  in  mathe- 
matics without  a  rule, 

A — But  Mr.  B,  1  want  an  explanation 
about  how  you  are  going  to  increase  the 
lifting  capacity  of  your  air  ship  without 
increasing  the  power  of  the  sustaining 
motor. 

B— Mr.  A,  it  is  accomplished  by  air 
jets  of  large  volume,  under  low  pressure 
and   velocity. 

A — Mr.  B,  do  you  mean  to  say  that 
a  jet  ot  air  of  large  volume  under  low 
pressure  and  veincity,  lifts  a  greater 
weight  than  one  of  smaller  volume  with 
high  pre-isure  and  velocity,  with  equal 
amounts  of  energy  consuiued  per  secuud 
in  each  case? 

B— Yes  Mr.  A,  that  is  just  what  I  mean 
to  say;  let  us  force  a  large  volume  of  air 
under  low  pressure  and  velocity,  through 
passagr  s  of  large  dimensions,  and  we  are 
on  the  road  to  success.  For^illustraiion, 
we  will  takt  two  air-ships  exactly  alike 
in  form  ami  weight,  but  iu  one  the  nozzles 
and  aerial  p.issages  throitghout  contam 
gi-Tjater  diameters  than  ll)e  other.  To  be 
exact  we  will  say  they  contain  just  eight 
times  the  area  of  the  other.  A  given 
power  with  the  enlarged  area,  will  lift 
just  double  the  weight  to  that  iti  tbe 
other  case,  nor  is  it  necessary  to  increase 
strength  or  weiglit  of  the  parts  upon 
which  the  strain  of  the  compressed  air 
rest-*,  for  the  reason  that  as  tbe  dimensions 
of  the  parts  are  enlargea,  the  air  |)ressure 
per  jijuare  inch  is  reduced  proportionally.  . 

A  — 1  understand  your  theory  Mr.  B, 
now  I  ask  you  to  prove  all  this.  It  is 
very  easy  to  say  this  is  so  and  so,  but  it 
is   another  thing  to  prove  it. 

B— yon  are  aware  of  the  fact  Mr.  A, 
that  if  we  double  the  yelocitj'  of  a   body 


moving  through  the  air,  we  will  quadruple 
its  resistance.  Suppose  Mr.  A,  we  have 
two  parachutes;  one  has  an  area  of  one 
hundred  square  feet,  and  the  other  an 
area  of  four  hundred  square  feet.  We 
place  on  these  parachutes  loads  which 
make  them  descend  at  equal  velocities. 
We  place  on  the  larger  one  a  load  of  one 
liundred  pounds,  and  in  order  to  make 
them  descend  at  e<jual  rates,  we  place  on 
the  smaller  one  a  load  of  twenty-five 
pounds,  for  the  reason  that  it  contains 
only  one  fourth  the  area  of  the  larger  one. 
Jhow  if  we  place  a  load  of  one  hundred 
pounds  on  the  smaller  one,  this  load 
will  cause  it  to  descend  at  such  a  rate 
that  it  will  be  constantly  meeting  with 
the  same  resistance  from  the  air  as  that 
of  the  larger  one  at  its  slower  velocity. 
And  this  rate  will  be  double  that  of  the 
larger  one,  for  the  reason  that  we  have 
quadrupled  its  resistance  against  the  air, 
by  doubling  its  velocity.  Tbus  you  ob.^erve, 
it  we  quadruple  the  area  of  a  parachute, 
it  is compeiUd  to  descend  at  only  one  half 
that  of  its  former  rate,  in  order  to  meet 
with  the  .-ame  resistance.  In  this  case 
of  the  falling  parachutes,  the  parachutes 
themselves  are  supposed  to  contain  equal 
weights. 

iSuppose  Mr.  A,  we  have  a  combination 
consisting  of  a  steam  engine  and  boiler; 
and  on  the  outer  end  of  the  piston 
rod  we  have  fixed  a  broad  plane  hav- 
ing a.a  area  of  one  hundred  square  feet. 
Suppose  we  so  ar.-ange  tlii-j  combinati(jn 
that  tlie  pijtoti  roit  by  the  action  of  the 
steam,  moves  the  plane  constantly 
vertically  downward  sidewise  against  the 
air.  We  will  call  this  coiutiination  an  il- 
lustrative air-ship.  The  plane  being  moved 
vertically  downward,  reacts  against  tbe 
air  and  iind.s  to  lift  the  ship  and  hold  it  in 
the  air.  Suppose  this  plane  has  to  be 
nn.iveU  downward  against  the  air,  at  tbe 
rale  of  one  hundred  feet  per  second,  in 
order  to  gain  sufficient  reaction  to  sustain 
a  weight  of  one  hundred  pounds.  We 
now  remove  this  plane  and  replace  it  with 
one  having  an  area  of  four  hundred  square 
feet.  Now  according  to  the  laws  illustrated 
in  the  case  of  the  parachutes,  the  engine 
has  to  move  this  larger  platie  at  only 
fifty  feet  per  second  against  the  air,  iu 
order  to  gain  sufficient  reaction  to  sustain 
a  weight  of  one  hundred  pounds.  What 
is  this  we  have?  A  plane  with  an  area 
of  one  hundred  square  feet,  moving 
against  the  air  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
feet  per  second  and  sustaining  a  weight 
of  one  Jiundred  pounds.  And  in  the 
second  case  a  plane  having  an  area  of  four 
hundred  square  feet,  moving  at  the  rate 
of  fifty  feet  per  second  and  sustaining  a 
weight  of  one  hundred  pounds.  Now  in 
tbe  first  case,  the  engine  has  to  move  a 
load  of  one  hundred   pounds,  at  the   rate 


Mfone  hundred  feet  per  second,  in  order 
tj  sustain  a  one  hundred  pound  weight. 
And  in  the  second  ca'ie,  it  has  to  move 
;i  load  of  one  bundred  pounds,  at  the  rate 
uf  onlj'  fifiy  feet  per  second,  to  accomplish 
ihis.  Mr.  A,  you  are  well  aware  of  the 
fact,  ihat  it  requires  double  the  power  to 
move  a  load  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
feet  per  second,  to  that  which  is  required 
to  move  it  at  the  rate  of  fifty  feet  per 
second.  You  now  observe  the  advantage 
of  the  hirger  plaiie.  It.  only  required 
one-naif  the  power  to  sustain  the  one 
hundred  pound  load,  by  using  the  larger 
plane,  to  that  which  was  required  to  sus- 
tain thd  same  load  with  the  smaller  plane. 
Stt  then  ii  comes  to  this  :  We  can  lift  the 
one  huiulrd  pound  load  with  one-half 
the  power,  if  we  quadruple  the  area  of 
the  plane.  Now  if  we  choose  we  can 
double  this  quadrupled  area  of  the  plane 
and  lift  two  hundred  pnunds  uisteai)  of 
one,  by  using  !l)H  full  power  of  die  motor. 
Mr.  A,  you  are  probably  aware  of  ihe 
fact,  that  in  the  case  of  Ihe  well  known 
water  wheels,  where  tbe  power  i-i  applied 
by  tbrowing  jets  of  water  atrainst  paddles 
fixed  upon  their  i)t  ripheries.  that  they 
require  gearing  according  to  tbe  velocity 
of  the  jet  hi'  which  thev  are  actualed.  A 
large  jet  under  low  pressure  an^i  velocity, 
rotates  the  wheel  with  great  force,  but 
at  a  slow  rate  of  motion;  and  a  small  jet 
under  high  pressure  and  velocity,  rotates 
its  wheel  at  a  high  velocity,  ibough  it  has 
but  little  force,  till  we  inrroduce  gearing 
to  decrease  the  motion  and  increase  the 
purchase.  Keep  in  memory  the  fact, 
that  in  the  case  of  botli  the  large  aiid 
small  jets,  they  are  supjio^ed  to  transmit 
equal  amounts  of  energy  |>er  second,  frotn 
their  nozzles  to  ibeir  wheels.  It  is  clear 
Mr.  A,  that  tbe  consrant  strain  between 
the  nozzle  and  paddles  on  tbe  wheel,  in 
the  case  of  tbe  larger  jet  with  low  pres- 
sure and  velocity,  is  grca'ei'  than  that  in 
tbe  other  case,  altbougb  they  are  trans- 
niittiug  equal  anKUUits  of  energy  {)er  sec- 
ond, from  their  nozzle^  to  their  wlieels. 

Mr.  A,  I  read  an  account  in  a  8cien- 
tihc  paper,  which  illustrated  this  law: 
The  statement  was  made  that  a  spiders 
we^i  forming  a  belt  ano  placed  on  pul- 
leys correspondingly  dedicate,  would  by 
tr;iveiing  at  the  velocity  of  dgbt,  trans- 
mit about  two  hundred  and  fifty  horse 
poscer.  You  are  aware  of  the  fa(!t,  Mr, 
A,  that  in  that  case  an  enormous  amount 
of  energy  would  be  transmitted  from 
point  to  point  per  stoond,  but  the  strain 
npoti  the  vehicle  which  conveyed  this 
energy  would  be  excedingiy  stuall.  Now 
Mr.  A,  the  larger  plane  in  ti.e  case  of 
tbe  illustrative  air-ship,  and  the  larger 
jet  of  water  in  the  case  of  the  water 
wheels,  represent  the  larger  jet  of  air  in 
the   case    of  tbe  air-ship.    They  illustrate 


the  fact,thatas  we  decrease  their  velocity, 
we  increase  their  pressure  or  reaction; 
And  in  the  case  of  the  spiders  web  travel- 
ing at  the  velocity  of  light,  the  fact  is 
shown  what  a  great  amount  of  energy  can 
be  transmitted  from  point  to  point  per  sec- 
ond in  the  case  of  the  air  jets  with  but  little 
pressure  or  reaction  as  in  that  of  the 
spiders  web.  Now  we  may  consider  it 
a  natural  law,  that  for  transmitting  a 
given  amount  of  energy,  in  a  given  time 
from  point  to  point,  as  we  increase  the 
velocity  of  the  vehicle  conveying  this 
energy,  the  constant  strain  or  nressute 
on  this  vehicle  is  decreased,  no  matter 
whtit  form  or  nature  this  vehicle  is.  It 
may  be  planes  of  air-ships  moving  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  against  the  air.  It 
m«y  be  a  belt  fixed  on  pulleys,  a  revolving 
shaft  or  a  reciprocating  piston  rod,  a  jet 
of  water  or  a  jet  of  air.  Th- se  are  all 
simply  cases  of  ir.msmission  of  energy 
from  puiiit  to  point,  To  makrt  this  c-tse 
more  clear,  in  regard  to  transmitting 
enert;y  from  poirit  to  point,  we  wilt  for 
illustration  sn()po<e  a  belt  to  carry  Oiie 
hundreii  p mnils  at  the  rate  fif  t^n  feet 
per  second.  It  will  then  transmit  from 
point  to  point  one  thousand  foot  pounds 
of  energy  per  sec.  nd.  VVe  now  suppose 
the  belt  carries  a  load  of  fifty  pounds; 
you  iind<-rstind  tiien  it  will  have  to  carry 
this  load  at  tbe  rate  of  twenty  feet  per 
second,  in  order  to  transiiiit  the  one 
tiKuisand  foot  pounds  per  second.  You 
observ  •  in  this  case,  that  we  doubled  the 
velocity  of  the  vehicle  and  traiiMuitted 
tbe  one  iliousand  footpounds  per  second, 
tbou'jrh  the  strain  upon  the  vehicle  was 
only  one  half  that  in  former  case.  This 
then  makes  it  clear,  that  as  we  increase 
the  speed  (if  the  vehicle  carrying  a  given 
amount  of  energy  per  second,  we  lessen 
the  strain  upon  it,  and  yet  convey  the 
same  amount  \'^■c  -:ec:)nd  as  before.  Now 
in  tbe  case  ol  the  air  jets,  they  are  similar 
to  bent  springs  placeil  betw  en  bearings. 
The  springs  being  in  a  state  of  ten-ion 
and  pressing  equally  against  each  of  their 
bearings.  The  mouths  of  the  nozzles 
form  on"  of  their  bearings  and  the  outer 
atmosphere  the  other.  And  the  weakest 
points  in  the  air-jet  springs  (shall  I  call 
them)  are  immediately  at  the  mouths  of 
tbe  nozzles,  where  the  velocity  of  the 
jets  are  greatest. 

A— But  Mr.  B,  I  suppose  we  shall  have 
to  give  up  the  idea  that  a  small  propeller 
moving  at  a  high  velocity,  will  bring  about 
as  great  a  reaction  as  a  large  one  moving 
at  a  slow  velocity,  with  an  equal  power 
in  each  case  to  actuate  them. 

B— Yes  Mr.  A,  that  idea  will  have  to 
be  given  up  in  all  forms  of  propellers.  A 
plane  moving  broad-sided  directly  or 
indirectly  against  the  air,  is  practically 
the  same ;    and   this  law   we    have    been 


discussing  applies  to  all. 

A— Then  Mr.  B,  You  mean  to  say  this 
law  applies  to  all  air-ships,  such  as  those 
using  horizontal  screws,  aeroplanes  etc.? 

B — Yes  Mr.  A,  it  applies  to  all,  inde- 
pendent of  their  form.  You  understand 
Mr.  A,  that  in  the  case  of  propellers 
moving  against  this  yielding  medium, 
— the  atmosphere,  our  object  is  to  secure 
a  foothold  ;  and  if  this  foothold  yields  in 
the  least,  under  the  pressure  of  the  pro- 
peller, it  means  just  that  much  dead  loss 
in  the  energy  of  the  motor.  The  larger 
then  the  surface  of  the  propeller,  moving 
against  this  yielding  medium,  the  better 
is  the  foothold,  and  the  less  the  loss  of 
power.  In  order  that  there  be  no  loss  of 
power,  the  area  of  the  propeller  must  be 
brought  to  such  great  dimensions,  giving 
such  a  great  foothold  on  the  air,  that 
it  will  not  yield  at  all  from  the  pressure 
of  the  propeller.  But  these  dsmensiuns 
can  never  be  reached,  either  in  practice 
or  theory.  The  practical  diiuens'ions 
which  may  be  rtached,  can  only  be  de- 
termined by  experiment.  So  we  may 
conclude  without  a  doubt,  that  in  all 
air-ships  of  the  coming  future,  at  best, 
we  will  always  have  a  heavy  and  unavoid- 
able loss  of  energy  from  this  source. 

A— Mr.  B,  in  regard  to  a  revolving 
horizoptal  screw,  1  suppose  you  njean  to 
crowd  the  air  vertically  downward,  thus 
gaining  the  reaction  to  lift  the  ship. 

B— Yes   Mr.  A,   that  is  the  idea. 

A — Mr,  B,  suppose  I  had  an  air-ship  on 
this  plan,  what  change  would  1  have  to 
make,  to  double  its  lifting  capacity, 
without  increasing  the  power  of  the  sus- 
taining motor? 

B— You  would  have  to  multiply  the 
area  of  the  blades  of  the  screw  to  eight  fold. 

A— Mr.  B,  1  would  like  to  a^k  you  the 
same  question  in  regard  to  the  air  ship 
with  aeroplanes. 

B— Mr.  A,  suppose  in  the  cases  1  am 
about  to  explain,  that  tbe  air-ships  daring 
their  flights  are  to  remain  at  a  constant 
elevation,  and  in  all  cases  to  move  at  the 
.same  rate,  and  exactly  horizontally.  Now 
Mr.  A,  you  may  double  the  lifting  capac- 
ity of  the  ship  by  multiplying  the  area 
of  the  aeroplane  to  eight  fold,  and  fixing 
it  at  such  an  incline  from  a  horizontal 
position,  that  it  will  crowd  the  air  down- 
ward from  its  under  surface  at  one-half 
that  of  the  former  rate.  In  this  case 
the  area  of  the  blades  of  the  screw  which 
propells  the  ship,  do  not  have  to  be 
modified.  And  tbere  is  another  way 
Mr.  A,  in  which  you  can  double  the 
lifting  capacity  of  your  ship  without 
increasing  the  power  of  the  sustaining 
motor.  It  is  accomplished  by  doubling 
the  area  of  the  aeroplane  and  letting  it 
remain  at  its  former  incline.  And  then 
multiplying    the    areas    of    the    blades  of 


the  screw  to  eightfold, 

A— Mr.  B,  in  regard  to  modifying  the 
area  and  incline  of  the  aeroplane,  and 
areas  of  the  blades  of  the  screw,  in  order 
to  double  the  lifting  capacity  of  the  sLip 
without  increasing  the  power  of  the  sus- 
taining motor,  1  want  you  to  explain 
this:  Why  are  these  particular  changes 
necessary  to  bring  ab-iut  this  result? 

B— Mr.  A,  They  are  in  harmony  witb 
the  law  pointed  out  in  the  case  of  the  il- 
lustrative air-ship,  where  the  fact  was 
shown  we  might  by  multiplying  the  area  of 
a  plane  to  eight  fold,  and  allowing  its  sur- 
face to  move  against  the  air, either  directly 
or  indirectly  at  one-half  its  former  rate, 
double  the  lifting  capacity  of  the  air-sqip. 
Now  in  regard  to  the  ship  with  the  af-ro- 
plane;  You  niultiijlifd  ihe  area  of  the 
aeroplane  to  eight  told,  and  fixed  it  at  such 
an  incline  that  itwould  crowd  the  air  down 
at  only  one-half  the  former  rate.  The  aero- 
plane now  descends  in  the  yielding  air  at 
only  one -half  its  former  rate.  And  at  the 
same  time  it  is  gliding  upward,  I  might 
say  at  one-half  the  former  rate,  thus  re- 
maining at  a  constant  elevation.  The  aero- 
plane now,  does  not  have  to  be  pushed  up 
so  steep  an  incline  as  before.  With  its  load 
it  has  only  to  be  glided  upward  in  the  air 
half  so  tiigh  in  a  giyen  time,  and  decends 
only  half  so  far  in  that  time.  For  this 
reason  it  will  sustain  double  the  load  with 
the  former  power,  and  in  regard  to  the  sec- 
ond case  of  modifying  tbe  aeroplane,  you 
double  its  area  and  lift  it  at  its  former 
incline.  This  doubled  area  calls  tor  double 
the  horizontal  pressure,  to  move  the  ship 
at  its  former  rate  carrying  double  the  load, 
because  of  the  incline  of  the  aeroplane  not 
having  been  changed,  and  was  compelled 
to  glide  upward  in  the  air  at  as  steep  an 
angle  as  before  any  modifications  were 
made  and  at  the  former  rate.  Or  we  can 
illustrate  the  case  equally  clare  by  saying, 
the  aeroplane  crowded  the  air  downward, 
and  this  doubled  liorizontal  pressure  was 
then  secured  by  multiplying  the  area  of 
the  blades  of  the  screw  to  eight  fold. 
Now  the  explanation  of  the  modified 
areas  etc.,  of  tiie  screw  blades  of  the  air- 
ship using  horizontal  screws,  explains  the 
philosophy  of  those  on  the  ships  using 
aeroplanes.  The  revolving  horizontal 
screws  crowd  the  air  downward  practi- 
cally the  same  as  the  plane  in  the  case  of 
the  illustrative  air-ship,  as  do  the  aero- 
planes, for  the  inclined  blades  of  the 
screw  are  only  aeroplanes  moving  in  a 
circular  path ;  and  in  the  case  of  the 
illustrative  air-ship,  it  was  shown  that 
when  the  area  of  the  plane  was  multiplied 
to  eight  fold,  we  could  lift  double  the 
weight  without  increasing  the  power, 
for  the  same  reason  we  can  do  so  in  this 
case.  Accrding  to  fundamental  principles 
we    are    not   confined    to    any    particular 


iiiclinein  case  of  the  blades  of  the  horizontal 
s(  rew.  If  we  modify  their  incline,  and 
iHii-e  Iheir  i>lane  to  lie  more  nejirly  par- 
aljfl  to  the  V)lane  of  rotation  of  Uie  screw, 
tlitn  iliev  can  not  crowd  the  air  so  far 
away  dnrirg  erich  revointion  of  the  screw. 
TliP  velocity  of  the  screw  would  then  have 
tu  be  increased  in  order  to  move  the  air 
away  at  the  i^anie  rate  at  which  it  was 
iiiiived  before  we  iTiodUied  tiie  incline  of 
tie  blades.  And  since  we  h:ive  this  niud- 
jlication.  it  will  siiuply  resnii  in  a  liij^her 
velocity  of  the  ^crew.  In  the  end  the  screw 
would  move  the  air  awai'  ar  the  sanie  pare 
as  before  we  n>oditieii  the  incline  o{  its 
blades.  Let  me  say  Mr.  A,  that  experi- 
ment ndfiht  prove  a  particular  incline  ot 
the  blades  of  the  screw  to  be  of  the  irvearest 
importance,  even  if  f;enerai  f)rniciples  do 
imlicaie  the  reverse.  Now  1  Oesire  lo  suj.-- 
fjest.  Mr.  A,  a  plan  for  an  air-ship  whu.se 
power  is  supplied  by  stored  compressed  air. 
It  contains  a  long  horizontal  cylinder 
filled  with  compre-'sed  air  at  a  very  lii>;h 
jiressnre.  The  cylinder  tortus  the  body  of 
tiie  air-ship.  Kniarjied  nozzle.^  are  to  be 
l)iaced  along  the  sides  of  this  cylinder, 
one  row  on  each  side,  the  rows  extending 
along  the  full  length  of  the  cylinder  with 
their  mouths  extending  downward.  The 
nozzles  in  each  row  are  placed  one  imnie- 
diaiely  in  the  rear  of  the  other.  l>uring 
the  flight  of  the  ship,  the  nozzles  in  each 
row  will  all  move  through  the  same  path 
and  present  little  surface  for  resistance 
against  the  air.  Their  mouths  which  are 
the  points  of  suspension  for  the  ship,  are 
placed  above  the  center  of  its  gruvitv  to 
prevent  capsizing.  The  com  pressed  air 
will  flow  through  small  pines  into  the  en- 
larged nozzles  and  there  exi>aiu1  and  |)ro- 
duce  a  lower  pressure  before  passing  out 
from  them  into  the  op-  n  air.  Thii^  we 
have  by  means  of  the  enlarged  nozzles 
large  volumes  of  air  Mowing  from  them 
under  low  pressure  and  velocilj'.  which 
produces  a  far  greater  reacticjn  or  lifting 
power,  than  had  the  compressed  air  flown 
directly  into  the  outer,  atmosphere  bi-fore 
descending  to  a.  lower  pressure  and  larger 
volume.  We  also  have  a  large  nutuber  ttf 
eidargeti  nozzles,  thus  se«uiring  great  nozzle 
area  and  consequent  economy  of  power. 
In  regard  to  the  appiianccj  to  nudntain 
the  ship  in  hu  upright  position  during  its 
tlight,  and  to  prevent  it  from  fallint;  in  case 
of  accident,  the  arrangements  mentioned 
in  the  air-ship  above,  using  air  jets,  are 
erpially  adapted  to  this  ca-e.  But  you 
will  understand  Mr.  A,  that  the  ship  could 
not  travel  as  long  journeys  as  those  carry- 
ing an  engine  ami  feul.  It  would  have  to 
land  occassionally  for  a  renewed  supply  of 
compressed  air.  You  understand  it  is  pos- 
sible to  carry  only  a  fracti(Mi  of  the  energy 
in  the  form  of  compresseil  air.  to  that  which 
may  be  carried  in  the  form  of  oil,  coal  etc. 

-5- 


A— Mr.  13,  I  want  to  suggest  placing  a 
small  engine  on  a  shin  of  tliis  Jiind,  and 
wi.en  o  1  a  lout;  iourney  land  occassionally 
and  sujiply  fiiei  lor  the  engine,  and  charge 
the  ship  with  a  new  su|)ply  of  compressed 
air  while  resting  ou  the  earth.  Now  Mr. 
B,  would  there  not  be  a  great  loss  of 
energy  by  the  ^impressed  air  descending 
to  <i  low  pressure  Pefore  passing  out 
frr.ni  the  enlarged  nnzziesV 

r>— Yes,  but  th  •  material  from  which 
the  energy  is  extract;  cl  is  not  carried  ou 
the  ship,  so  it  niakes  no  difference  as 
fai   as  the  air-ship  is  concerned. 

A — Mr.  li,  in  case  the  cyhnder  is  of 
laiue  dimensions,  but  thin  and  light,  it 
would  hold  a  large  quantity  of  air  at  a  low 
pressure;  bat  if  its  dimens'ons  are 
siiKd'er  it  would  have  to  be  very  thick 
a'lii  he^ivy  in  proportion  to  its  dimensions, 
to  hold  ihesania  iin:<ntiiy  of  air,  because 
of  the  hi^jher  jiressnre  which  is  brought 
aliou'.  Now  it  is  desirable  to  iiave  the 
dinicnsions  of  the  cylinder  small  as 
jio-siU'e  in  order  that  u  may  be  less 
bii.ky.  But  the  smaller  cylinder  must 
h<iiti  an  eiiurtl  amount  of  air  to  that  of 
the  larmier  one,  independent  of  its  pres- 
sure. We  must  have  the  large  quantity 
of  idr  independent  of  the  dimensions  of 
the  cylinder,  or  pressure  of  the  air  within 
it. 

A— Mr  B,  I  want  to  ask  you  this  ques- 
tion: Would  there  be  any  dilference 
in  l!ie  weights  of  the  large  and  small 
cylinders,  capable  of  holding  equal  ([Uan- 
litits  of  compressed  air  at  the  ditlerent 
pressures'.' 

15-buppose  Mr.  A,  we  have  a  cylinder 
one  foot  long  and  one  foot  in  diameter, 
and  we  have  anotln-r  ot?e  one  foot  long 
and  six  inches  in  diameter.  Each  cylinder 
is  made  of  one-eighth  inch  steel.  We 
will  compress  within  the  larger  cylinder 
two  cubic  teet  pf  air  from  its  normal 
pressure  to  one  atmosphere.  We  will 
compress  within  the  smaller  cylinder  one 
cubic  foot  of  air  The  pressure  in  the 
larger  cylind  r  we  suppose  to  be  fifteen 
pounds  per  squ-ire  inch,  and  in  the 
smaller  one  thirty  [lounds  per  square 
inch,  'file  smader  cylinder  has  a  .strain 
double  iharof  the  lamer  one,  but  it  can 
stand  double  the  pressure,  because  it 
contains  only  one-half  the  diameter  of 
the  larger  one.  The  stnaller  cydnder 
conrains  one-half  the  quantity  of  air  to 
that  of  the  larger  one,  its  weight  is  also 
one-half  thai  of  the  larger  cylinder,  and 
we  suppose  the  two  cylinders  contain  all 
the  i)re8sure  they  can  bear.  Now  if  we 
make  the  smaller  cylinder  of  one-fourtti 
inch  sLeel  in  place  of  one-eighth,  as 
before,  we  double  its  weight  and  strength. 
And  being  thus  strengthened  we  can 
compress  within  it  twice  the  quantity  of 
air  it  contained  before.    It  will  then  con- 


fain  the  same  weight  as  the  lareier  cyl- 
inder and  the  same  quantity  of  air, 
You  then  observe  that  their  weights  are 
the  same  in  order  to  have  sufiQcien'' 
streugbt  to  stand  the  pressure  brought 
upon  them,  by  containing  equal  quantities 
of  air. 

A— But  Mr.  B,  if  the  conipr»s8ed  air 
Hows  from  the  smaller  cylinder,  under 
its  high  pr(  ssure,  into  the  enlarged  nuzzles, 
and  there  descend  to  a  low  pre!»>ur»j  before 
pasiiing  out  from  them,  there  is  a  much 
greater  amount  of  energy  wanted  than 
lu  the  case  of  the  large  cylinder;  be- 
cause the  pressure  of  the  air  must  descend 
from  thirty  pounds  per  squar  inch  in 
the  case  of  the  smaller  cylinder,  before 
doing  useful  work,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
larger  cylinder  it  would  only  have  to  de- 
scend from  fifteen  poiiiids.  You  under- 
stand that  in  the  case  of  the  smaller  cyl- 
inder, the  compressed  air  cuniaihs  much 
more  energy  than  thai  of  the  larger  one, 
although  the  quantity  of  air  contained  in 
each  cylinder  is  the  same.  Now  Mr.  H, 
we  must  necessarily  have  this  high  pres- 
sure in  order  to  reduce  the  bulk  of  the 
cylinder.  But  1  cannot  fancy  this  enor- 
mous waste  of  energy.  Can  you  suggest 
a   way    to  prevent    this    loss? 

B — Mr.  A,  I  suggest  placing  an  air  com- 
pressor on  the  ship,  and  allow  the  stored 
compressed  air  from  its  reservoir,  to  actu- 
ate this  compressor  while  in  the  act  of  de- 
scending to  a  low  pressure,  and  allow  the 
exhaust  from  the  compressor,  which 
would  contain  sufBcient  pressure  to  supply 
the  enlarged  nozzles.  The  compressor 
then  in  return  can  compress  more  air  into 
the  reservoir  from  which  it  received  its 
energy,  thus  there  is  no  loss  of  energy 
from  that  source.  The  utra  weight  ad- 
ded in  the  shape  of  machinery,  is  small  in 
comparison  to  the  power  saved.  Now  Mr 
A,  with  all  our  different  air-ships,  (those 
useing  air  jets,  aeroplanes,  horizontal 
screws  etc.,)  We  have  made  these  changes 
and  doubled  their  lifting  capacities,  with- 
out increasing  the  power  of  the  sustaining 
motor.  The  fact  is  then  clear,  that  we 
can  in  a  similar  way,  increase  their  lifting 
capacities  without  limit,  so  far  as  this 
law  is  concerned  The  practical  limit  can 
only  be  determined  by  experiment.  In 
closing  our  discussion  in  regard  to  increas- 
ing the  lifting  cafiacities  of  the  air-ship, 
1  will  say  the  point  we  have  been  discus- 
sing is  based  on  that  all-important  natural 
law,  that  to  get  the  greatest  reaction  with 
a  given  power,  we  must  have  the  greatest 
area  moving  against  the  resisting  rat- 
dium  at  the  lowest  velocity. 

A— Now  Mr.  B,  while  we  have  all  the 
advantages  of  your  plans,  we  must  not 
over-look  the  fact  that  it  is  desirable 
still  to  have  the  lightest  possible  motor 
with   the  greatest  power,  to   operate  our 


air-ships.  Can  you  suggest  the  plan  of 
an  engine  which  would  be  lighter  than 
those  we  now  have?  You  understand 
by  increasing  the  dimensions  of  the  parts 
in  the  air-ships  as  you  have  suggested, 
that  they  are  necessarilv  somewhat 
bulky,  which  is  not  desirable,  as  there 
is  a  greater  surface  to  move  against  the 
air  during  their  flight.  And  securing  a 
greater  powtr  to  a  given  weight  cf  motor, 
means  either  to  decrease  the  dimensions 
of  the  air  ship,  or  carry  a  greater  load. 

B— Yes  Mr.  A,  there  is  plan  by  which 
this  can  be  accomplished.  It  consists  in 
working  the  steam  at  the  lowest  possible 
pressure.  We  suppose  we  have  a  boiler 
furnishing  steam  at  a  high  pressure; 
This  high  pressure  calls  for  strong  and 
heavy  parts  upon  which  it  exerts  its  pres- 
sure. Suppose  this  boiler  furnishes  steam 
at  a  |)ressure  of  one-tenth  that  of  the 
former.  The  reduction  in  pressure  will 
permit  us  to  reduce  the  strength  and 
weight  of  the  parts  upon  which  the  pres- 
sure comes,  to  on(-tenth  that  of  the 
former.  Yet  this  boiler  generates  an 
many  foot  pounds  of  energy  in  *  given 
time  as  before,  for  the  reason  that  this 
depends  on  the  heating  surface.  The 
heating  surface  being  as  great  as  it  was 
before,  it  then  comes  to  this:  We  have 
reduced  the  weight  of  the  biiiler  to  one- 
tenth  that  of  its  original  and  yet  it  gen- 
erates as  much  energy  in  a  given  time 
as  before.  But  since  we  have  reduced 
the  steam  pressure,  we  will  have  to  in- 
crea.se  the  dimensions  of  the  steam  chest 
to  permit  the  low  pressure  to  do  mechan- 
ical work  as  fast  as  it  is  g«  nerated.  You 
understand  we  must  have  a  greater  pis- 
ton area.  The  area  must  be  increased 
in  proportion  that  the  steam  pressure 
has  been  reduced. 

A~Now  .Mr.  B,  how  abont  diminishing 
the  weight  of  the  water  in  the  boiler? 

B— Mr.  A,  i  I  case  the  water  is  contained 
in  the  spact  s  among  the  Hues  of  the  boiler, 
the  flues  then  should  lie  more  closely  to- 
gether, thus  giving  less  water  space.  It 
would  then  require  less  water  to  till  the 
boiler  and  coyer  all  the  heating  surface. 
The  small  amount  of  water  then  in  the 
boiler  would  be  converted  into  steam  and 
pass  out  more  quickly  into  the  condenser, 
to  be  returned  by  the  injector.  The  result 
would  be,  that  the  smaller  amount  of 
water  is  used  over  more  frequently  in  a 
given  time.  It  would  probably  be  advis- 
able to  let  the  flues  contain  the  water  and 
allow  the  heat  to  pass  through  the  spaces 
among  them,  for  the  reason  that  their 
diameters  being  small,  they  will  stand 
the  pressure  with  less  thickness  and 
weight  than  in  the  case  where  a  cylinder 
of  larger  diameter  surrounding  the  flues, 
is  required  to  stand  the  strain.  This 
cylinder  will    require   great  strength  and 


weight  because  of  its  large  iliameter.  A. id 
tor  Lliis  reason,  ailow  no  parts  with 
Jarge  (iimeiisions  on  wliich  the  steam 
jire^bure  comes,  in  this  latter  caie  only 
a  light  hall  is  required  to  surround  the 
Hues,  to  confine  the  heat  to  its  \>Mh. 
And  it  would  refiuire  a  greater  internal 
fiirjiin  to  burst  ihese  tubes  than  rxterjial 
pressure  to  collapse  them.  Kow  in  tiiis 
case,  to  secure  the  greatest  heatiiiB  sur- 
face with  the  smallest  water  space,  the 
tines  contiiiniiig  the  water  should  have 
as  small  a  diameter  as  possible,  because 
if  we  lessen  their  diameters  one-half,  we 
will  lessen  the  amount  of  w-uer  tlu^y 
contain  to  one-fourth  that  of  the  for.i.nr 
amount,  and  only  lessen  their  hearinj; 
surface  one-lialf.  They  may  be  ma'.ie 
much  lighter  with  sullicient  strenj^th  to 
si.itid  the  strain,  becau-e  of  their  smaller 
diameters. 

A— Mr.  B,  v/hile  all  these  air-ships  we 
have  been  di*cu>sinK,  mny  be  "-atisfactory 
for  slow  velocities,  we  cannot  sati^sfy  our 
selves  without  hi«l»er  velocities.  We 
should  travel  several  hundred  miles  per 
hour,  to  carry  our  mail;^,  if  not  pass- 
enijera.  Are  there  not  fair  prospects 
that  we  will  soon   advance   to  this  point? 

E— Mr,  A,  You  have  i)robably  observed 
the  fiigbt  of  dillerent  birds—  we  take  the 
crane  and  the  duck  for  illustration.  Y<«u 
will  observe  the  crane  is  posi^essed  of 
wings,  or  sustainina;  njechanism,  with 
very  large  surfaces,  ni  comparison  to  its 
weight,  to  move  aizainst  the  air.  Due 
the  reverse  is  ihe  case  with  th  ■  dmk. 
Now  the  condition  of  th,-  crane  with  the 
large  surface  of  its  sustaining  apparatus, 
means  the  greatest  economy  of  tne 
energy  stored  within  its  body,  because 
of  the  great  areas  of  its  wing  moving 
slowly  against  the  air,  being  an  exact 
representation  of  the  enlarged  areas  of  tlie 
Bustainiug  surfaces  of  air-^hips.  Thi-  duck 
possesses  on  the  contrary  a  \ery  heavy 
body  in  compaiison  to  the  area  of  its  wings, 
and  you  will  observe  during  its  liii^ht  that 
its  wings  mo-'  e  against  the  air  at  a  very 
rapid  rate,  in  order  to  sustain  the  eom- 
paratively  great  weight  of  its  body.  This 
means  a  great  wa^ti-of  its  stored  energy, 
and  is  a  representf lion  of  the  sustaiti- 
ing  surfaces  of  air-ships  with  small  areas. 
Now  Mr.  A,  it  is  not  difiicult  to  observe 
tJie  difference  in  the  Might  of  these  two 
binls.  The  higbt  of  the  crane  being  ex- 
ceiiingly  slow  and  awkward,  and  the 
reverse  being  the  case  wirh  the  duck. 
Now  while  the  duck  during  its  llii^ht, 
loses  far  more  energy  per  second,  lo 
each  pound  weight  of  its  body  than  the 
crane,  it  has  the  conditions  jiresent  to 
enable  it  to  reach  a  far  greater  velocity; 
E-nd  these  conditions  could  not  be  present 
without  this  heavy  loss  of  energy. 

A— Mr.    B,    what  are    these   conditions 


tnat  enable  the  duck  to   reach   its   rapid 
a>'-t«sion  and  flight? 

U— Mr.  A,  you  will  observe  the  duck  to 
he  more  compact  than  the  crane;  this 
is  a  condition  suitable  to  rapid  flight. 
Kut  most  important  of  all  is  the  fact, 
tiiat  it  possesses  the  possibility  of  with- 
drawing from  its  source  a  far  greater 
amount  of  energy  in  a  given  time,  to 
each  pound  weight  of  its  body  than  that 
of  the  crane.  And  in  regard  to  the  mcch- 
atiism  of  the  duck,  which  this  energy 
must  actuate  to  bring  about  the  rapid 
ascension  and  horizontal  flight,  it  is 
undoubtedly  a  fact  that  the  rapid  flight 
IS  brought  about  by  sucli  a  motion  of 
tiie  wings  that  they  force  the  air  more 
nearly  directly  backward,  and  at  a  more 
raiiid  rate  tluin  that  of  the  crane.  Ani 
the  smali  snstaining  surfaces  or  wings  of 
the  duck  moving  downward  against  the 
air  at  a  rapid  rate,  have  a  tendency  when 
Itiey  have  released  the  weight  of  the  duck 
from  its  place  of  rest,  to  cause  it  to 
ascend  wiJi  a  bound  similar  to  that  of 
a  sky  rocket,  and  for  a  similar  reason; 
wliile  the  crane  with  its  enlarged  sustain- 
ing surfaces  moving  downward  against 
the  air  at  a  slow  yeloity,  is  incapable  of  • 
bringing    about    such    a  result. 

A-  But  Mr.  B  what  has  all  this  about 
the  duck  and  the  crane  to  do  with  air-ships? 

B— It  is  my  object  to  compare  the  build 
and  proportions  of  airships  to  the  build 
and  proportions  of  the  duck  and  crane. 
Yim  will  observe-the  comparatively  bulky, 
awkward  and  slow  motioned  air-ship 
with  large  sustainiiit?  surfaces  representing 
great  economy  in  power,  to  be  a  repre- 
sentation of,  and  is  built  on  the  plan  of 
the  crane.  But  Mr.  A,  if  we  hope  to 
re.nch  any  great  velocities  with  our  air-ship 
we  must  have  the  conditions  of  the  duck. 
We  must  have  the  conditions  present 
from  which  we  can  withdraw  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  energy  in  a  short  per- 
iod of  lime.  Yon  understand  we  require 
a  very  large  nnmber  of  foot  pounds  of 
energy  per  second  to  each  pound  weight 
of  the  shii),  in  order  to  handle  it  quickly. 
The  shir,  must,  like  the  duck  or  sky- 
rocket be  capable  of  rising  from  the 
earth  with  a  bound.  It  must  not  consume 
an  hour  in  rising  a  thousand  feet  high, 
but  must  quickly  rise  to  an  altitude 
from  which  it  takes  its  horizontal  Might,  for 
the  obje.;t  of  this  ship  is  to  travel  the 
greatest  possible  distance  in  a  given  time. 
And  its  rapid  ascension  is  required  for 
the  reason  th  t  it  must  land  frequently 
to  renew  its  store  of  energy.  When  we 
secure  our  energy  and  bring  about  the 
conditions  in  order  Ihat  it  may  be  used 
rapidly  as  desired,  we  will;  like  the  duck, 
be  able  to  ascend  and  travel  horizontally 
with  great  velocity.  But  remember,  the 
greatei  portion  of  the  energy,  as  in  the 


(•a8e  ot  ll\e  duck,  wui  necessarily  ne  lusi 
ill  hritiKiag  about  these  conditions  for 
rapid  H'giii.  You  understand  that  the 
■,ustaiiiing  surfaces  of  the  ship,  liite  that 
■A  the  duck,  will  be  small  and  suitable 
to  rapid    flight. 

A— xMr.  B,  1  want  to  know  something 
about  how  we  are  going  to  bring  about 
the  conditions  of  the  duck  in  our  air- 
ship? Will  the  possibilities  of  mechanics 
and  sourci'S  of  »-iiergy  permit,  thist  to 
be    acconipli'^hed? 

15— Mr.  A,  while  we  haye  not  quite 
reached  the  possibilities  of  mechanics 
nt-cessary  for  this  condition,,  it  seems  as 
though  it  would  not  recjuire  much  inven- 
tion to  bring  it  about.  And  I  will  say 
that  gas  and  petroleum  engines  appear 
to  be  most  suitable.  There  appears  no 
reason  why  they  can  not  be  reduced 
t.»  an  excedmgly  small  weight— to  as 
low  as  two  or  three  pounds  per  horse 
Dower  I  will  venture  to  say.  And  in 
regard  to  their  sources  of  energy,  they 
ful-fill  that  all  inii-ortant  cuiulition,  in 
supplying  the  energy  fast  as  required. 
We  do  not  require  all  this  heavy  ma- 
chinery, boilers,  water  condensors  and 
so  on,  to  be  carried  on  the  siiip,  as  in 
case  of  the  steam  engine,  to  bring  about 
that  result.  When  we  have  thus  reduced 
the  weights  of  the  engines,  we  have  that 
difficulty  practically  removed.  In  regard 
to  the  weight  of  the  fuel,  we  need  fear 
no  difficulty,  when  it  is  considered  that 
one  pound  of  petroleum  contains  fifteen 
million  foot  pounds  of  enerjiy;  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  cannot  secure 
two-thirds  of  this  for  useful  mechanical 
work,  when  we  make  a  little  more  pro- 
gress. All  we  require  is  to  bring  to  per- 
fection the  gas  and  petroleum  engines, 
and  we  can  soon  have  an  air-ship,  capa- 
ble of  traveling  at  a  great  velocity  in 
the  face  of  the  heaviest  tornado  that 
ever  blew. 

A— Mr.  B,  from  what  source  will  you 
secure  your  gas  in  case  you  use  a  gas 
engine? 

B— it  will  1)6  stored  at  a  very  high  pres- 
sure in  a  reservoir  on  bonrd  the  ship.  If 
you  care  to  make  the  calculations  it  will 
not  be  diliicult  lo  determine  the  number 
of  foot  pounds  of  energy  which  can  be 
thus  stored,  to  each  pound  weight  of 
the   reservoir. 

A— .\lr.  B,  In  order  then  that  our 
ship  shall  reach  this  great  velocity,  and 
in  view  of  the  fact  of  its  heavy  loss  of 
power  even  if  we  haye  on  board  a  large 
supply  of  energy,  it  will  sooner  or  later 
becmue  exhausted. 

B— citations  shall  be  arranged  at  suit- 
abe  points  along  the  air-ship  line 
where  the  ship  lands  and  secures  new 
supplies  of  <nergy.  And  the  distance 
apart  at  which  these  station.*-  should  be 
placed  will , depend  on  how  far  a  supply 
of  energy  will  carry  the  ship.  Whde 
••he  ship  consumes  its  supply    of    energy 

-8- 

TPATtriTP   PPrtO 


111     B      OUU/l      llllic,     mini     11,3       i^icai/       Tciuv-Ji» 

it  will  travel  a  great  distance  during  tbat 
time.  And  here  let  me  remark,  that 
the  above  mentioued  air-ship  with  the 
stored  compresned  air  and  enlarged 
nozzles  is  suitable  to  operate  on  this  plan. 
A— Mr.  B,  What  is  your  idea  in  rei^ard 
to  transforming  the  energy  of  petroleum 
directly  into  electricity?  Of  course  you 
are  awitre,  if  it  oau  be  accomplished,  of 
the  advantaaes  which  would  result,  to 
aerial  navigation. 

B— While  such  a  discovery  would  be 
of  ()riceless  value,  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
will  never  be  made.  Yet  there  is  such 
a  great  unknown  just  before  us— so  much 
to  discover  and  so  little  that  has  been 
discovered  that  we  know  not  what  is  in 
store  for  us.  Mr.  A,  you  are  aware  that 
by  decoui))osing  zinc  with  an  acid  that 
its  stored  energy,  its  chemical  affinity, 
is  released  and  comes  forth  in  the  form 
of  electricity.  But  suppose  you  try  de- 
coiii posing  iron  or  steel  with  this  acid, 
and  its  energy  ironies  out  in  the  form  of 
heat,  with  n  >  electriiniy  about  it.  I  be- 
lieve the  reason  ziiu;  gives  forth  elec- 
tricity, is  because  of  its  extraordinary 
ciemiial  coa>  icunon,  whicu  no  other 
material  known  to  the  writer  possesses; 
and  it  seeius  that  it  is  not  likely  that 
petroleum  possesses  this  condition  in  the 
absence  of  that  iu  thousands  of  other 
materials  which  do  not  possess  it.  To 
come  right  to  the  point  Mr.  A,  it  is  un- 
doubtedly a  fact,  that  the  mode  of  the 
atomical  motion  brought  about  by  the 
decomposition  of  zinc,  is  alltogether  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  other  materials,  and 
this  mode  of  motion  happens  to  be  the 
same  as  that  brought  about  in  the  coiH 
of  a  dynamo  by  the  magnets  passing 
them.  Heat  is  evidently  a  simple  recip- 
rocating atomical  motion.  While  in  the 
case  of  electricity,  we  have  the  best  of 
evidence  by  its  manifestations,  if  not  pos- 
itive proof,  that  it  consists  in  a  rota.-y 
reciprocating  motion,  of  polarized  atoms 
on  an  axis.  It  seems  to  me  that  a  fa- 
miliar substance  like  patroleiim,  if  it  con- 
tains the  possibility  of  giving  forth  elec- 
tricity, would  have  given  some  manifes- 
tation of  it  through  accident  or  experi- 
ment. Now  Mr.  A,  while  I  hope  my 
views  are  wrong  in  regard  to  this,  1  fear 
they  are  correct.  And  if  they  are,  there 
will  be  other  methods  developed  which 
will  contain  as  small  a  weight  per  horse 
power  in  machinery  as  is  possible  in  this 
case. 

And  in  bringing  our  discussion  to  a 
close.  I  will  venture  to  say  that  the 
dawning  of  the  twentieth  century  will 
find  us  operating  air-ship  lines  across 
continents  exploring  the  unknown  regions 
of  the  earth  by  their  aid,  and  possibly 
soaring  across  the  seas. 

Barnet  N.  Botts, 
Paso  Robles, 

January  1st.,  1891.]  California. 


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